Red Meat’s Heart Risk Goes Beyond The Fat : NPR.
Everything you need to know about L-carnitine and TMAO (Trimethylamine N-oxide).
Writing Wednesdays – Steven Pressfield Online
We all have stories that we tell ourselves about what our lives are—and those stories are always wrong.
via Writing Wednesdays | Steven Pressfield Online.
Learn to cut through the clutter and tune out the noise. Accept the truth about your life’s story, your situation, your Path. If you like what you see, do nothing. If you don’t like what you see, time to change.
1 in 3 Americans has Dementia at Time of Death
One in three older adults has Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia at the time of death. As the nation’s population ages, the number of people with the progressive neurological disorder could triple in the next 40 years, said a study published online Feb. 6 in Neurology.
via 1 in 3 Americans has dementia at time of death – amednews.com.
Teaching Prediabetes an Uphill Battle
The study shows that in 2010, one in three adults age 20 and older (an estimated 79 million people) had prediabetes. In that condition, a person’s blood sugar level is higher than normal but is not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis, the CDC said.
Of those adults with prediabetes, only 11% were aware that they had the condition. Although that figure marks a slight improvement from 2005-06, when 7% of people reported knowing they had prediabetes, awareness of the condition is too low, researchers said.
People with prediabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those without the condition, according to the American Diabetes Assn. If action is taken early, however, risk of type 2 diabetes can be significantly reduced by losing weight and exercising moderately, the ADA said.
via Teaching adults about prediabetes an uphill battle – amednews.com.
Eat less. Move more. Good luck.
Medical Apps – Tipping Point?
There are cheap dongles that can do sonograms good enough for office use, sensors and apps that can do blood tests, sweat tests and other chemical diagnostics. One type of pill has been developed that reports when the patient has swallowed it. When the pill encounters stomach acids, it sends out a tiny electronic pulse. The pulse is picked up by a small adhesive patch the patient wears on his or her abdomen. The patch, in turn, detects when the patient’s smart phone is on and close by, and sends out a Bluetooth signal. An app on the phone picks up the Bluetooth signal and sends an instant message to the clinician who is tracking the use of the drug.
via Medical apps: We are approaching the tipping point.
Interesting article.
The Trader Joe’s Lesson: How to Pay a Living Wage and Still Make Money in Retail – Sophie Quinton – The Atlantic
Many employers believe that one of the best ways to raise their profit margin is to cut labor costs. But companies like QuikTrip, the grocery-store chain Trader Joe’s, and Costco Wholesale are proving that the decision to offer low wages is a choice, not an economic necessity. All three are low-cost retailers, a sector that is traditionally known for relying on part-time, low-paid employees. Yet these companies have all found that the act of valuing workers can pay off in the form of increased sales and productivity.
“Retailers start with this philosophy of seeing employees as a cost to be minimized,” says Zeynep Ton of MIT’s Sloan School of Management. That can lead businesses into a vicious cycle. Underinvestment in workers can result in operational problems in stores, which decrease sales. And low sales often lead companies to slash labor costs even further. Middle-income jobs have declined recently as a share of total employment, as many employers have turned full-time jobs into part-time positions with no benefits and unpredictable schedules.
Valuing people. What a strange concept, eh?
The Most Effective Strategies for Success – Heidi Grant Halvorson – HBR
Persistence over the long haul is key
via The Most Effective Strategies for Success – Heidi Grant Halvorson – Harvard Business Review.
Diastolic Dysfunction Common in RA
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased incidence of diastolic dysfunction, which may further raise their already high risk for congestive heart failure, a meta-analysis suggested.
Patients with RA have double the incidence of heart failure compared with the larger population, and this finding has prompted interest in determining the origins of heart failure in these patients.
Pilot Ejected -Body Recovered
Pilot ejected when small airplane dove near Chattanooga; body recovered – U.S. News.
EAA – EAA Experimenter – FAA’s Zodiac 601/650 Aircraft Report.
This post is for diehard underwriters only. How unusual is it for a pilot to be ejected from his/her aircraft while aloft? According to various news reports, the plane dove, the canopy came off, and the pilot ejected. The first link is to a short story covering the accident. The second link takes you to an eye-opening, well researched article on accidents involving the Zodiac 601. Plenty of information for the next phone call from a life insurance agent who asks,
“Why did you rate him $5.00 per thousand?”
Answer: He wasn’t wearing a seat belt and the plane he flies has a tendency to break apart while in flight.
America: A Nation of Permanent Freelancers and Temps
We are quickly becoming a nation of permanent freelancers and temps. In 2006, the last time the federal government counted, the number of independent and contingent workers—contractors, temps, and the self-employed—stood at 42.6 million, or about 30 percent of the workforce. How many are there today? We have no idea since 2006 was the last year that the government bothered to count this huge and growing sector of the American workforce.
Traditionally, being self-employed used to come with a social stigma; you were self-employed if you couldn’t get a “real job.” Work was inconsistent and so was the pay. Today, the opportunities for contingent, project-based work are exploding, as is the development of tools that allow people to work independently across industries like software, design, marketing, legal services, architecture, healthcare, and engineering.
via America: A Nation of Permanent Freelancers and Temps – Jeremy Neuner – The Atlantic Cities.
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